WHALE WATCHING IN Sri Lanka – 40 whales in 1 day

Seeing whales has been one of my lifelong goals for a long time. When living in Sydney I would search the seas but never spotted a whale. So when we went out whale watching (or whale seeking as they call it in Sri Lanka), I had my fingers crossed for just 1 whale.

We decided to take a private speed boat for my special birthday and booked with a fab company and although it was expensive ($400 for two – and they kindly upgraded us to a larger boat) is was well worth it. The boat was excellent, fast and new. The two guides were fantastic, they searched every wave, direction and shadow for the elusive mammal.

We left at 7.30am and saw our first whale within 30 minutes. We also caught sight of the tourists’ boats, which were loaded and from our perspective it looked like the list/tilt was quite scary, and they seemed to leave quite early after spotting a whale. Which was great, because we felt like we had the entire expanse to ourselves.

Whale watching in Sri Lanka

Seeing whales up close, just next to the boat, was awe-inspiring. They are so beautiful, massive and powerful. At one stage we had the engine off, waiting for a whale, when one popped up next to us and circled us as she checked us out. It was amazing to go from whale watching, to be watched by whales.

My favourite has to be the whale we pulled up behind, who dived right in front of us showing its massive tail in pure perfection. I snapped so many pictures of whale tails that will adorn my walls and create amazing memories forever.

Whale watching in Sri Lanka

TIP: make sure you’ve got a great camera & vid, lots of sunscreen and a reputable operator who doesn’t chase or scare the whales.

This was the most incredible day, seeing whales in pairs, diving, swimming, blow holes, whale backs, grey skin, whale tails. This day will stay with me forever!